Platform auger for harvesters



June 21, 1955 B. M. HYMAN 2,711,244 PLATFORM AUGER FOR HARVESTERS Filed Nov. 1, 1952 Z? i M ZZZ:

United St t Pfit 2,711,244 PLATFORM AUGER or: HAnvnsr Rs Application November 1, 1952, Serial No. 3 18, 234 1 Claim. (Cl. 198..9.)

This invention relates to a new and improved platform auger for harvesters. V

Harvesters and particularly harvester threshers are concerned with the cutting and/or picking np of grain and thereafter aggregating the harvested grain and. delivering it ina narrow path to a treating means sueh as a thresher and separator. The harvester platforms with wh ch the present invention is concerned are relatively wide and employ conveyor means for delivering 'the'harvestedfgrain to one portion of the platform and thereafter employing a h hr m n r m n the ather d r in at figh angles thereto, There have been many means devised to effect the transition .from the lateral movement *of grain across a platform to a longitudinal movement.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention 'to provide a means on a harvester platform for changing the direction of laterally moving grain to a longitudinal movement. a e I An important object of this invention is it) 13 1) I? harvester platform with a transversely dispos'e'dauger conveyor arranged and constructed to feed grain longitudinally of the auger and across the platform to a position adjacent an upwardly and rearwardly extending feeder conveyor and the auger conveyor adapted to form the lower support for the endless chain type feeder conveyor.

Another n u e i ortant ob o hi ih h'i hh lies in the provision of means in the form of spring'tingers carried by the core of an auger conveyor on harvester platforms and having an endless feeder conveyordraped around th au 'c n vs a a ran ed in effe his relation with h r n n r to effe an ndwiss sutward stripping of the spring fingers by the cross 'slats of the endless feeder conveyor. r

Another and further important object of this invention is to provide a central feeding auger conveyor on a harvester platform with outwardly extending spring fingers on the core thereof adjacent the centralfee'ding location and including an upwardly and rearwardly' feeding endless chain conveyor employing the auger conveyor at its lower drive means and the conveyor having cross slats to insure a stripping of the grain from the spring fingers and effecting an upward and rearward movement of the grain.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the disclosures in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a harvester platform incorporating the device of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the device as shown in Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a platform for an agricultural harvester. The platform 10 includes a reciprocating cutter bar 11 extending across the forward edge thereof, laterally spaced gathering points 12 and 13 disposed at the outer ends of Patented June 21, 1955 2 he one: har;'a" ativs v w d de or f o r 14, a a ll. 5 and had w l 6 and 17 n auger. con e o 8 i is m l y Ihvh t i t ppo ed d Walls 1 n 17 and i d pt o he otatahlv en- The auger cln'des arelatively large diameter core 19 and screwfiights 2t) and '21 thereon The screw flight 20 extends from the end wall 16 to a position adjacent a centerportion 2 2 of the platform'10. Similarly, the screw flight 21 extends from the end wall 17 to the center portion 22 of the Platformhe screw flights a 21 re opp i e y i hed so that rotation of the auger conveyor 18 inone will cause. simultaneous lateral movement of gra n and straw to the central portion'22 of the platform. Harvesters such as the harvester of this invention are adapted to be prOPfilled through a field of standing grain whereupon the cutter bar 11 severs the grain at the butt h s hfth traw cau n the grain d t aw o a l a wardly over the top of the auger conveyor 18. The screw flig ts and 21 then feed the cut grain and straw toward the center portion 22 of the platform. oftentimes grain will be preliminarily cut and redeposited in the field, either scattered or in windrows, and in such an event pick up means would be employed in lieu of the cutter bar for the purpose of delivering grain and straw to the auger qqhvys r.

' The eentjral portion of the platform 22 is further deas that portion lying opposite a feeder housing 23. 'The 'feeder housing in a self-propelled combine is generally eentrally located between the ends of the platform and is employed for the purpose of delivering the haryested'grain and straw to a further treating means such as the separator and threshing mechanism. It should be im erstoo at the feeder housing need not be positioned he harvester platform but may be more or less disposed at one side thereoflin which event the screw flights 20 or 21 would have to be increased or decreased inieng'th to compensate for 'such offset positioning of the feederhousing, and that the portion 22 heretofore stated 'tofbe the center of the platform should be constructed to mean that portion of the platform adjacent or opposite the feeder liousing to which the screw flight of the auger feeds r n d w ma e 'As "stated above it is the object of this invention to provide means 'onand around the auger 18 for delivering the gra n nd s raw d n tud n yq t auger ar,- wardly into the feeder housing 23. The transition from the movement of the grain transversely of the harvester iplatforrnto a longitudinal direction through the'feeder honsing' 23 creates a difiicult problem and one which is extremely'important to the successful operation of a harvester and particularly a harvester thresher. The means for accomplishing the right angle turn of grain and-straw includes a'plurality of spring fingers extending outwardly from the core 19 of the auger conveyor. The spring fingers designated by the numeral 24 are arranged in circumferentially spaced rows. Grain fed along the auger conveyor 18 is urged rearwardly by downward and under turning of the auger conveyor as indicated by the arrow 25. The spring fingers 24 sweep the grain and straw over the deck 14 of the platform 10 and rearwardly toward the feeder housing 23. The fingers are positioned on the auger core substantially across the entire width of the feeder conveyor '23 and within the portion 22 of the platform. As best shown in Fig. 2, a chain type feeder conveyor 26 is maintained in inclined position within the feeder housing 23 and extends forwardly onto the platform 10 where itextends around the core 19 of the auger conveyor 18. Spaced apart sprockets 27 and 28 are formed on the auger core 19 and constitute the driving support for the lower forward end of the feeder conveyor. The upper end of the chain conveyor is carried on laterally spaced apart sprockets 29 and 30 which are respectively aligned with the lower sprockets 27 and veyor includes laterally spaced apart endless chains 31 and 32 which adjoin the sprockets 27 and 29, and 28 and '30. Cross slats 33 and 34 are provided'on each of the endless chains 31 and 32 of the chainconveyor 26 in aligned relationship so that the combined'slat s of both chains bridge across the feeder housing 23. 'It is thus apparent that the cross slats 33 and 34 are in effect only half slats and individually extend oniy halfway'across the space 22 adjacent the feeder housing "23. It would, of course, be possible to make the slats full length without affecting the invention. The conveyor and thus also the slats have been shown divided to eliminate the necessary critical alignment of the spaced endless chains. The cross slats 33 and 34 are timed and positioned with respect to the auger core 19 and the spring fingers 24 so that a pair of slats is positioned between each of adjacent rows of spring fingers 24. It is the function of the slats 33 and 34 to provide means for stripping grain and straw in an endwise movement outward from the spring fingers on the under and far side of the auger conveyor 18. The particular endwise direction of stripping grain from the spring fingers is extremely important to the successful operation of the machine. A straight stripper would tend to compress and/or hairpin grain therein. Further, delivery of the grain from the auger conveyor to the feeder conveyor is relatively easily accomplished as the feeder conveyor is carried directly into the path of movement of material by the auger by reason of the employment of the auger core as the lower carrying means for the endless feeder conveyor. The feeder conveyor 26 is known as the undershot type wherein the material carried thereby is held against the upwardly and rearwardly inclined floor 350E the feeder housing 23 by the cross slats 33 and 34. A chain guide 44 is carried on the spaced apart side walls of the feeder housing by the Weld attachmentoffupwardly turned flanges 45 and 46 as shown at 47 and 48.

The chain guide 44 as best shown in Fig. 2 holds the lower flight of the undershot conveyor chains down against the upwardly inclined floor of the feeder housing. As best shown in Fig. 3 the spring fingers 24 have inwardly projecting portions in the form of loops or coils 36 which constitute the hinge attaching means to fixed rods 37, 38, 39 and 40 which are equally spaced'within,.and extending longitudinally of, the auger core 19. Further, the fingers 24 project outwardly through substantially rectangular or slit like apertures 41 in the core 19. Thus as the core 19 is rotated it in turn drives the fingers 24.

In the operation of the device of this invention the harvester is propelled across a field of grain and the gathering means causes grain and straw to be deposited on the transversely positioned auger conveyor 18. The

screw flights 20 and 21 of the auger 18 causelateral movement of the grain in opposite directions so thatall material is fed to the location 22 positioned between the screw flights 20 and 21. 28. As shown in Figs. '1 and 3 the chain type con grain and straw to be pushed into that portion of the auger having the outwardly extending spring fingers 24 whereupon the rotation of the anger in the direction as. indicated by the arrow 25 will cause a downward sweeping of the grain across the floor 14 of the. platform toward the rear wall 15 and into the path of the undershot feeder and feed all the material up the inclined floor 35 of the feeder housing 23. The spring fingers driven by the auger core 19 slide over orsweep the underside of the v cross slats 33 and 34.

i It should be obvious that the harvester platform eon struction as described herein is capableof use on any" type of harvesting machine such as ajwindrowharvester' or a harvester thresher.

Various details of construction may be varied -th rough-' out a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein and I, therefore, do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claim. a

What is claimed is: i

' Aharvesterplatform' including a relatively wide grain receiving'deckfend walls for said deck, an auger conveyor journally mounted in said end walls, spaced apart oppositelypit-ched screw flights on said auger-conveyor arranged and constructed to feed grain between inner spaced endsthe reof, outwardly projecting fingers on said auger conveyor located intermediate the spaced apart inner endsof the screw flights, a chain type feeder converyor on said platform having its forward end extending around and supported by the auger conveyor at the portion of theauger conveyor having the projecting fingers, cross slats on said feeder conveyor, and said cross slats arranged for interengagement with said outwardly pro jecting fingers whereby grain material swept under the auger conveyor means by said outwardly projecting fingers will be stripped longitudinally outwardly of said fingers and thence be carried rearwardly solely by said feeder conveyor, said feeder conveyor including laterally spaced, t apartendless chains, said cross slats being separate on 7 each of said chains and of a length to extend substantially half way across said feeder conveyor whereby aligned cross slats'on the spaced chains complement the first named, cross slats to bridge the feeder conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,919,897 MacGregor July 25, 1933 2,390,680 Ausherman Dec. 11, 1945 2,464,919 Carroll Mar. 22, 1949 The screw flights cause the v Van Sickle Apr. 10, 1951 

